Geography Chapter 3, Drainage, is a core chapter in Class 9 Social Science that explains India’s river systems, their characteristics, and the significance of drainage basins. CBSE Important Questions for Class 9 Social Science Geography Chapter 3 are given here. It helps students revise the complete chapter efficiently.
These Drainage Important Questions Class 9 cover river systems like the Himalayan rivers and Peninsular rivers, concepts like river patterns, the water divide, and the role of rivers in the development of India. The set includes all types of drainage important questions class 9, including short, long, map-based, and application-based.
Drainage Class 9 Important Questions and Answers
Here are Drainage Class 9 Important Questions and Answers for effective preparation:
Here are Drainage Class 9 Important Questions and Answers for effective preparation:
Section –A [1 Mark]
1. Which one of the following river basins covers Madhya Pradesh?
(A) Narmada basin
(B) Mahanadi basin
(C) Both (A) and (B)
(D) Krishna basin
Ans. (A) Narmada basin
2. What is the type of the Sambhar Lake?
(A) Seasonal
(B) Perennial
(C) Freshwater
(D) None of these
Ans. (A) Seasonal
3. Which is the largest freshwater lake in India ?
(A) Dal lake
(B) Wular lake
(C) Chilika lake
(D) Pulicat lake
Ans. (B) Wular lake
4. Which lake is the result of tectonic activity?
(A) Dal lake
(B) Sambhar Lake
(C) Wular lake
(D) Nainital lake
Ans. (C) Wular lake
5. Which of the following is not a natural lake?
(A) Bhimtal lake
(B) Loktak lake
(C) Barapani lake
(D) Guru Gobind Sagar
Ans. (D) Guru Gobind Sagar
6. Which of the following is not an advantage of lakes?
(A) They help to regulate the flow of a river.
(B) They help in the development of the tourism industry.
(C) They enhance natural beauty and provide recreation.
(D) None of these
Ans. (D) None of these
7. Which of the following is not a usage of rivers in the economy?
(A) They are used for irrigation.
(B) They are used for navigation.
(C) They are used in sewing and weaving.
(D) None of these
Ans. (C) They are used in sewing and weaving.
8. What affects the quality of the river water?
(A) Increasing urbanization
(B) Growing industrial and agricultural demands
(C) Dumping of untreated sewage and industrial effluents
(D) All of these
Ans. (D) All of these
9. Most of the freshwater lakes are in which region?
(A) The Himalayan region
(B) The Plain region
(C) The Central region
(D) None of these
Ans. (A) The Himalayan region
Section –B [2 Marks]
10. Name two salt water lakes on the eastern coast of India.
Sol. • The Chilika Lake,
• The Pulicat Lake.
11. Write two causes responsible for the increase in demand of water.
Sol. • Growing population,
• Urbanisation.
12. Write any two uses of the river water.
Sol. River water is used for farming, drinking, domestic and industrial uses.
13. Write any two causes of pollution of water of the Ganga River.
Sol. • Disposal of raw sewage and industrial wastes from towns and cities.
• Reduction in water flow due to abstraction of water for irrigation from the Ganga through canals.
14. Describe any three features of Himalayan rivers.
Sol. Features of the Himalayan Rivers:
• They are perennial in nature.
• They have large basins.
• They perform intensive erosion activity in their upper course and carry huge load of silt and sand.
15. Define a river system and describe two characteristics of river Indus.
Sol. A river along with its tributaries is called a river system.
Characteristics of River Indus:
• River Indus rises in Tibet near Mansarovar lake.
• Its total length is 2,900 km and is one of the longest rivers of the world.
• Majority flows through Pakistan and help in agricultural activities.
• The main tributaries of Indus are Nubra, Hunza, Sulley, Beas, Ravi, Chenab, Jhelum.
(any two)
16. Write a short note on the Brahmaputra River system.
Or
Describe the three main features of river Brahmaputra.
Sol. • The Brahmaputra originates in Tibet where it is known as Tsangpo.
• It flows eastwards parallel to the Himalayas, but it takes a U-tum around the Namcha Barwa and enters India in Arunachal Pradesh.
• It is responsible for creating a havoc of floods in Assam and Bangladesh.
• This river receives less volume of water and has less silt in Tibetan part, but it carries a large volume of water and silt in India.
• It has a braided channel in most of its length in Assam with a few large islands within the Channel.
17. Describe any three features of Ganga-Brahmaputra delta.
Or
Describe the features of the Ganga plain.
Sol. • The Sundarban Delta derived its name from the Sundari tree which grows well in marshland.
• It is formed by the rivers Ganga and the Brahmaputra.
• It is the world’s largest and fastest growing delta.
• It is also the home of Royal Bengal Tiger.
18. Why do the Himalayan rivers get flooded every year? What are its advantages?
Sol. • The Himalayan rivers receive water from the melted snow from the lofty mountains as well as from rain.
• During monsoons, due to heavy rainfall, these rivers get flooded every year.
Advantages:
• The Himalayan rivers flood parts of the northern plains enfiching the soil for the
extensive agricultural lands.
• Various food crops and cash crops are grown in these fertile lands.
19. What progress has been made in the Ganga Action Plan?
Sol. • Sixty-nine schemes have been completed with positive results.
• Trees have been planted in badly eroded portions.
Check dams have been repaired in the upper reaches of the river.
• Interception and diversion of several major drains carrying sewage and industrial wastes to the river in some cities like Varanasi,Kanpur, Patna have reduced the pollution level.
• Turtles and the Gangetic dolphins which had disappeared for several years have now reappeared in Varanasi and other places.
Section –C [3 Marks]
20. Why are most of the Peninsular rivers draining into the Bay of Bengal? Give reasons. Name the two rivers draining into the Arabian Sea.
Sol. (i) (a) The main water divide in Peninsular India is formed by the Western Ghats, which runs from north to south close to the western coast.
(b) The Deccan Plateau is higher in the west and slopes gently eastwards. Thus, most of the peninsular rivers such as Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri flow eastwards and drain into the Bay of Bengal.
(ii) The river Narmada and river Tapi drain into the Arabian Sea.
21. Which two rivers of Peninsular India form estuaries? Name the states in which these rivers drain the water.
Sol. • The river Narmada and the Tapi form estuaries.
• The Narmada basin covers parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat.
• The Tapi basin covers parts of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
22. Why are Peninsular rivers seasonal in nature? Give any three reasons.
Sol. • The flow of Peninsular rivers is dependent on rainfall.
• The Peninsular rivers have shorter and shallower courses as compared to their Himalayan counterparts.
• The tributaries are very short and less in number and bring quite less amount of water which hardly increases the amount of water of the main river. Therefore, during the dry season, even the large rivers have reduced flow of water in their channels.
23. Which two peninsular rivers flow westward? Mention one similarity and one difference between these two rivers.
Sol. Narmada and Tapi.
Similarity: • These rivers flow through rift valley.
• The tributaries of these rivers are small in size.
Difference: • Tapi is the second largest river of Peninsular India and Narmada is the fifth largest river.
• Narmada river forms an estuary before entering into the Gulf of Khambhat. On the other hand, Tapi does not form an estuary.
24. Describe the main features of Narmada Basin.
Sol. • All the tributaries of the Narmada are very short and most of these join the mainstreams at right angle.
• The river forms an estuary before entering into the Gulf of Khambhat.
• The river Narmada rises in the Amarkantak hills and flows towards the west in a rift valley formed due to faulting.
25. Describe the main features of Tapi Basin.
Sol. • It is the second largest river of the peninsular, rises in the Satpura ranges, in the Betul district of Madhya Pradesh.
• It also flows in a rift valley parallel to the Narmada but it is much shorter in length.
• Its basin covers parts of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
26. Describe any three important features of the Krishna Basin.
Sol. • The river Krishna rises from a spring near Mahabaleshwar. It flows for about 1400 kms.
• The Tungabhadra, the Koyana, the Ghatprabha, the Musi and the Bhima are some of its tributaries.
• Its drainage basin is shared by Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
27. Why is the Godavari river also known as ‘Dakshin Ganga’?
Sol. • The Godavari is the largest peninsular river.
• Its drainage basin is also the largest among the peninsular rivers. The basin covers parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
• The Godavari is joined by a number of tributaries such as the Purna, the Wardha, the Pranhita, the Manjra, the Wainganga and the Penganga.
• Because of its length and the area it covers, it is also known as the ‘Dakshin Ganga’.
28. Describe any three important features of the Mahanadi Basin.
Sol. • The Mahanadi rises in the highlands of Chhattisgarh.
• It flows through Odisha to reach the Bay of Bengal. The length of the river is about 860 kms.
• Its drainage basin is shared by Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha.
29. Describe any three important features of the Kaveri Basin.
Sol. • The Kaveri rises in the Brahmagri range of the Western Ghats and it reaches the Bay of Bengal in south of Cuddalore, in Tamil Nadu.
• Its main tributaries are Amravati, Bhavani, Hemavati and Kabini.
• Its basin drains parts of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
30. Mention any three similarities between the Himalayan rivers and Peninsular rivers.
Sol. • Both the river systems form delta.
• Himalayan and Peninsular rivers both have their large drainage basins.
• The rivers of both the regions are joined by several tributaries which increase the volume of water and silt of the main river.
For example, Himalayan River: The tributaries of river Ganga are Yamuna, Kosi, Gandak etc.
Peninsular River: The tributaries of river Godavari are the Purna, the Wardha, the Pranhita, the Manjra, the Wainganga and the Penganga.
31. Why rivers are regarded as the lifelines of human civilization?
Sol. Rivers are regarded as the lifelines of human civilization because:
• Most of the civilizations have developed along the river valley. For example, Indus Valley Civilization near river Indus and Mesopotamian Civilization near river Euphrates and river Tigris.
• River provides settled life as growth of food and crops is possible and convenient near rivers.
• People have always used rivers to travel across places and for the transport of men and material from one place to another.
Section –D [5 Marks]
32. Describe the four drainage patterns.
Sol. The four drainage patterns are as follows:
• Dendritic: The dendritic patterns develop where the river channels follow the slope terrain. The stream with its tributaries resembles the branches of a tree, thus the name dendritic.
• Trellis: A river joined by its tributaries, at approximately right angles, develops a Trellis pattern. A Trellis drainage pattern develops where hard and soft rocks: exist parallel to each other.
• Rectangular: A rectangular drainage pattern develops on a strongly-jointed rocky terrain.
• Radial: The radial pattern develops when streams flow in different directions from a central peak or dome-like structure.
33. “Rivers constitute the most useful natural resources.” Support the statement with five suitable examples.
Sol. Rivers are the most important natural resources because
• Rivers provide water for survival and growth of all organisms.
• Rivers provided ideal conditions for the early man to lead a settled life.
• Rivers have built flood plains, deltas and provide fertile soil for agriculture.
• Water from rivers is used for drinking, irrigation and for generating hydro- electricity.
• Man is able to supplement his food supply with the fish in the rivers. Rivers also serve as natural waterways.
• World’s earliest civilization developed in the river valleys, e.g., Nile Valley civilization, Indus Valley civilization etc. River Valleys are the world’s best agricultural lands, and are densely populated regions.
34. Explain the main features of the rivers originating from the Himalayas.
Sol. • Most of the Himalayan rivers are perennial. It means that they have water throughout the year.
• The Himalayan rivers have long courses from their source to the sea.
• These perform intensive erosional activity in their upper courses and carry huge loads of silt and sand.
• They have cut through the mountains making gorges.
• They also have well-developed deltas.
35. Write the main features of the Ganga system.
Sol. • The Ganga has two headstreams-the Alaknanda and the Bhagirathi. They join together at Devprayag.
• From the Himalayas the Ganga enters the plains at Haridwar. It is joined together by a large number of tributaries like Ghaghara, the Gandak and the Kosi.
• The Yamuna and the Son are the two main right bank tributaries of the Ganga.
• The Ganga enters Bangladesh as Padma. It flows southward through Bangladesh, and is joined by the Brahmaputra and is known as the Jamuna. After receiving Meghna, it is known as the Meghna.
• The length of the Ganga is over 2500 km, and it has the largest basin.
36. Why does Brahmaputra become a big river on entering India?
Sol. • In Tibet, the Brahmaputra River carries a smaller volume of water and less silt as it is a cold and dry area.
• It enters India from Arunachal Pradesh and is joined by many tributaries such as the Dibang, the Lohit etc.
• It passes through a region of high rainfall. Here, the river carries a large volume of water and considerable amount of silt.
• Every year during the rainy season, the river overflows its banks.
• Brahmaputra is marked by huge deposits of silt on its bed causing the river bed to rise.
37. Distinguish between a Delta and an Estuary.
Sol: 
38. Distinguish between perennial and non-perennial rivers.
Sol:
39. Explain the ‘National River Conservation Plan’ (NRCP) in brief.
Sol. The activities of Ganga Action Plan (GAP) Phase- I, initiated in 1985, were declared closed on 31st March, 2000. The Steering Committee of the National River Conservation Authority reviewed the progress of the GAP and necessary correction on the basis of lessons learnt and experiences gained from GAP Phase-I. These have been applied to the major polluted rivers of the country under the NRCP.
The Ganga Action Plan (GAP) Phase-II, has been merged with the NRCP. The expanded NRCP now covers 152 towns located along 27 interstate rivers in 16 states. Under this action plan, pollution abatement works are being taken up in 57 towns. A total of 215 schemes of pollution abatement have been sanctioned. So far, 69 schemes have been completed under this action plan. A million litre of sewage is targeted\to be intercepted, diverted and treated.
40. Differentiate between freshwater lakes and saltwater lakes giving examples of each.
Sol. Freshwater Lakes:
• Freshwater lakes are mostly found in the Himalayan region.
• They are of glacial origin which means that they were formed when glaciers dug out a basin which was later filled with snow melt.
• The Wular lake in Jammu and Kashmir is the result of the tectonic activity.
• The Dal Lake, Bhimtal, Nainital, Loktak and Barapani are some other important freshwater lakes.
Saltwater Lakes:
• Spits and bars form lagoons in the coastal areas, e.g., the Chilika lake, the Pulicat lake, the Kolleru lake are the saltwater lakes.
• Lakes in the regions of inland drainage are the saltwater lakes, e.g., the Sambhar lake in Rajasthan. Its water is used for producing salt.
41. Why are rivers important for the country’s economy?
Sol. The rivers are important for a country’s economy for the following reasons:
• Rivers are an integral part of our folklore and folk songs. Water from the rivers is a basic natural resource essential for human, agriculture and industrial activities. This activity in its form is uneconomic but in its long term becomes economic one. For example, Sahitya Academy, transmission of dramas, plays and stories to abroad bags hard currency to India.
• 80% main stay of population in India on agriculture indicates itself how important the surface water is for Indian economy.
• Tourism industry has developed by leaps and bounds in each country of the world after globalisation in twenties. This industry bags millions currency in American dollar (i.e., the hard currency).
42. What are the causes of water pollution? How can it be controlled?
Sol. • The factories discharge their effluents in the nearby rivers, which cause water pollution.
• The disposal of sewage of urban centres into the rivers is also responsible for water pollution.
• The overuse of fertilisers and pesticides also pollute the water.
• Water in the oceans gets polluted by the leakage of oil from oil tankers.
Methods to Control Water Pollution:
• The waste product from the factories should not be allowed to fall into the rivers.
• The waste materials should be treated before it is allowed to fall into the water of rivers.
• Sewage of urban centres should not be allowed into rivers at any cost.
• The fertilisers and pesticides should not be overused.
• Oil spills from tankers should not be allowed to enter any water body.
Section E [4 Marks]
43. Read the following passage and answer the questions that follows:
The headwaters of the Ganga, called the ‘Bhagirathi’ is fed by the Gangotri Glacier and joined by the Alaknanda at Devaprayag in Uttarakhand. At Haridwar the Ganga emerges from the mountains on to the plains. The Ganga is joined by many tributaries from the Himalayas, a few of them being major rivers such as the Yamuna, the Ghaghara, the Gandak and the Kosi. The river Yamuna rises from the Yamunotri Glacier in the Himalayas. It flows parallel to the Ganga and as a right bank tributary, meets the Ganga at Allahabad. The Ghaghara, the Gandak and the Kosi rise in the Nepal Himalaya. They are the rivers, which flood parts of the northern plains every year, causing widespread damage to life and property but enriching the soil for the extensive agricultural lands. The main tributaries, which come from the peninsular uplands, are the Chambal, the Betwa and the Son. These rise from semi-arid areas, have shorter courses and do not carry much water in them. Enlarged with the waters from its right and left bank tributaries, the Ganga flows eastwards till Farakka in West Bengal. This is the northernmost point of the Ganga delta. The river bifurcates here; the Bhagirathi-Hooghly (a distributary) flows southwards through the deltaic plains to the Bay of Bengal. The mainstream, flows southwards into Bangladesh and is joined by the Brahmaputra. Further downstream, it is known as the Meghna. This mighty river, with waters from the Ganga, and the Brahmaputra, flows into the Bay of Bengal. The delta formed by these rivers is known as the Sunder ban delta.
Answer the following MCQs by choosing the most appropriate option:
(i) What glacier Ganga is fed by?
(A) Himalayan (B) Ladakh (C) Gangotri (D) None of the above
Ans. (C) Gangotri
(ii) Which is one of the tributaries, mentioned in the paragraph, joins Ganga?
(A) Ghaghara (B) Narmada (C) Tapi (D) All the above
Ans. (A) Ghaghara
(iii) Where does Yamuna rise from?
(A) Gangotri (B) Himalaya (C) Chenab (D) Yamunotri
Ans. (D) Yamunotri
(iv) What is the northernmost point of the Ganga delta?
(A) Bangladesh (B) Tamil Nadu (C) Farakka (D) None of the above
Ans. (C) Farakka
How to Use CBSE Important Questions for Class 9 Social Science Geography Chapter 3 for Exam Preparation
Using the CBSE Social Science Geography important questions properly can help you score higher marks. Here’s how to score well:
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Before using drainage important questions class 9, read the NCERT textbook thoroughly to understand river systems, drainage patterns, and major rivers.
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Attempt important question of drainage class 9 after completing each topic such as Himalayan rivers, Peninsular rivers, lakes, and role of rivers. This makes retention stronger.
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Maps are a scoring area. Use the important questions to revise locations of major rivers, lakes, and river basins.
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Compare your answers with the Drainage Class 9 Important Questions and Answers to identify errors and improve your explanation style.
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The Drainage Important Questions Class 9 PDF is useful for quick, focused revision a day before exams.
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